China's presence in mainland Southeast Asia today
When: 9am-5pm, Friday 21 June 2019
Where: Lecture Theatre 351, Education Building, The University of Sydney
The peoples of the mainland Southeast Asian countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, have a long history of relations with China. These relations covered the areas of trade, migration, religion and culture, and occasionally, conflict. The colonial period and the Cold War significantly disrupted contact between the two regions, but with China’s opening up and economic rise in the last 40 years relations have resumed arguably with greater intensity than at any time in recent history.
As China seeks to convert its economic power into further regional influence this workshop aims to provide a clearer picture of the current relationship between mainland Southeast Asian countries and China. It will also consider its significance at a time of growing geo-political tension in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Workshop will give particular attention to four broad themes:
- security and shifting geopolitics in mainland Southeast Asia;
- national politics, in particular how China’s authoritarian model is affecting political development in mainland Southeast Asian states;
- economic and social change in mainland Southeast Asia, particularly in relation to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); and
- Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence operations in mainland Southeast Asian countries.
This event is organised by Dr Patrick Jory, Associate Professor Melissa Crouch and Dr Kearrin Sims, Committee members of AMSEAS.
This workshop is co-hosted by the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre and the Association of Mainland Southeast Asia Scholars (AMSEAS).